52 Limited

52 Limited managing partner, Steve Potestio, spoke to Mt. Hood Community College’s class of integrated media students. The class was comprised of students in graphic design, interactive media, television production, radio broadcasting and photography.

Steve spoke of the current state of the employment market within Portland creative services and gave advice for those seeking employment in the field. Insight was also provided into working through placement agencies, freelancing and the difference between working for a corporation or working for a creative company, such as a design firm or advertising agency.

Advice on resumes, interviewing, portfolios, and the importance of networking rounded out the discussion.

Judging by the number of calls 52 Limited receives each week from folks all over the country Portland continues to be strong on the creative class’ radar.

Portland graphic designers should take note. People from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other major markets are looking to move here in droves and they will aggressively be seeking work. And due to the level of hustle needed to get ahead in these markets, these folks don’t always take no for an answer. Some will find Portland’s pace of life and commerce frustrating, others will assimilate and do quite well.

This migration is welcome and will continue to make Portland a focal point for creative thinking. One question is whether Portland, and Portland’s employment market, is ready for this influx? Are there enough jobs? Without the large corporate base other cities enjoy, Portland has fewer large marketing departments to hire staffs of designers. Portland though has always been a small design firm town so that trend should continue as many transplants open their own practice.

What drives people here? The same things that make this a livable place. Recreation opportunities. Parks. Urban Planning. Sustainability focus. Take a look at the industries here and there is commonality. Sports apparel, footwear, recreation and equipment. This synergy will continue to build upon itself with companies like Keen Footwear following the migration. Let’s hope this continues and job growth remains strong.

Unpretentious, relaxed, quirky, and fiercely independent, Portland’s creative community is very much on the down low in terms of nationwide visibility. Even though our agencies consistently garner national awards, and our boutique agencies produce some of the most original advertising, marketing, and creative material anywhere. But people are beginning to take notice that Portland is truly a dynamic creative hub.

Young creatives fresh out of college and art schools flock here. Talented people with established names and businesses in larger markets are moving to Portland for quality of life reasons a smaller city with outstanding arts and culture, diverse and urban with great planning, respectful of the environment, and with some of the best food, wine, and beer in the country. In a word, Portland exemplifies liveability. Often they’re also bringing their high paying clients with them who positively impact our economy.

Major companies already recognize the city’s wealth of creative talent. Nike is a homegrown powerhouse that has forged a long-term advertising partnership with Wieden and Kennedy. Adidas has their North American headquarters here. This competitive atmosphere also helped raise the profile of local companies such as Columbia Sportswear. Now a new wave of companies is drawn to Portland for its talented creatives and energized setting. Nautilus, Keen Footwear, Nau all come to mind.

We’re seeing this exciting new wave of talented people in our own practice. At 52 Limited, we’re working with creative and inventive people from many places and backgrounds: art directors from New York, designers from Minnesota, copywriters from San Francisco, fashion designers from Los Angeles to name a few. As a creative resource company, we’re able to match highly talented individuals with our best businesses. We work diligently to ensure success at all levels. Our growing creative base has made this an easier task. Success breeds success. The more outstanding our industry becomes, the more Portland shines as a creative center.

Still, with all of this talent and all of this great work, why doesn’t Portland have the national recognition of L.A. or Chicago? Certainly agencies like Wieden & Kennedy and Sandstrom Design are doing high profile international work and being acclaimed for it. Unfortunately, most of our best work goes unnoticed outside of the Northwest. Our small shops and boutique agencies lack the marketing clout and bold-faced bravado to push their products to a higher level of recognition.

But maybe smaller and quieter is better in the long run. Do we really want to be like L.A. very talented but lacking in proportion, balance and livability? We cherish our unassuming nature, and we hardly revel in the bling bling of everything. Maybe, though, we could use a little push. Perhaps we need to blow our own horns more, attracting attention to our work with just a bit more panache. We can keep our vibrant, independent Portland aesthetic but join together to coax ourselves more noticeably upon the national stage. The challenge, of course, is how to do this. Who will step up and take us to that higher level? Self-promotion certainly has its merits! Everyday fascinating and imaginative ideas originate in the Portland creative community. We just would enjoy more people knowing about them.

Today’s agencies know that having the best talent wins the game. To attract the best talent, your company must build a positive culture. “Culture” may be today’s buzzword, but its effect cannot be overstated. Peter Metz, creative director for Sockeye Creative, states, “I think culture is huge in our industry–so anything you can do to improve it, the better the creative is going to be. Designers are a touchy-feely group. They need to fell supported and have trust in the process. Otherwise they will be much more guarded and that doesn’t lead to good work.”

Building a positive culture begins with positive recruitment and retention strategies. Are unqualified resumes filed away on your hard drive, never to be seen again? Or, are they just deleted entirely? Do you respond to those candidates who are unqualified? If not, you need to rethink your strategy. Any contact with potential employees, qualified or not, helps build your brand identity in the marketplace.

Your first contact with potential employees is usually the interview. Don’t fall into the trap of making candidates answer what they can do for your company. You need to allow candidates to interview you and the company. Think of the interview as an exploration of what it would be like to work together. Treat people as if they were already part of the team and helping to building the brand.

Hire cultural fit over skills and experience when deciding between candidates. Don’t sacrifice experience or skills your company needs, but also don’t be afraid to pass on a hot shot if he or she doesn’t fit the company culture. Hiring without this fit could poison the culture, the brand and ultimately alienate the employee. “My own checklist in interviewing candidates for any position in the company included cultural fit. Being a good fit meant more than having the right skills or relevant experience for the job,” says Steff MacDonald, VP of client services for Dunthorpe Marketing. “‘Fit’ meant being able to verbally and non-verbally demonstrate how closely their own core values or inner culture would benefit the team and company. Of course it takes more time and interviews to discover these key traits but when we invested the time to do this we hired happier long-term employees who helped meet outstanding company goals and grew very well professionally.”

I know about building culture first-hand. I joined ID Branding and Via Training in 2000 as the Human Resources Manager and I had my work cut out for me. Although ID was known as a hip design agency, Via was still unknown as an online sales-training company. Sales training was not an easy sell, and I knew I had to build the best culture possible to recruit the most talented people. By 2005 Via employed almost 140 of Portland’s most talented people. In five years, Via had grown rapidly and became known as a fun, fair and overall great place to work.

Most creative shops in Portland aren’t large enough to have an internal recruiter or an HR department. You may not need these positions to attract talent, but you do need a philosophy and a process for hiring managers. Your recruitment process must ensure follow-up with candidates, qualified or not. This is crucial. You never want candidates to say “I interviewed there but never heard back.”

Building a positive culture builds your brand. Remember, the process of creating that culture starts the day a candidate calls you about a job opening. It starts the day a resume hits your inbox, or the day a candidate interviews. A positive culture attracts and retains the best, most talented people. Attracting and retaining talent drives your company’s success. Here’s to culture, brand and success!